A man who had to re-learn to walk after surgery to remove a brain tumour is covering 31,000km by foot in December.
Conor Smith of Trevethin in Pontypool is half-way through his challenge of walking 10km a day to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
The 27-year-old was left with life-changing injuries following treatment for a grade 2 meningioma in November 2021 after doctors initially thought his numb left arm was caused by ‘sleeping funny’. Days later, he collapsed at home after losing the feeling down the left-side of his body.
Conor, who lives with his older brother, Daniel who is 33, said: “I often woke up with a dead arm. I pinched my back but couldn’t feel anything. I was terrified. It was as if there was no bone in my arm and it flopped around like it was made of rubber. Within 10 minutes feeling returned and the GP suggested it could be down to the position I had slept in.”
His diagnosis followed years of intermittent blurred vision and a crippling pain behind his eye which an optician thought could be from excessive time using a screen.
He added: “I tried to spend less time on my phone and watching TV, instead I started reading more under natural light. It became something I lived with. Looking back now with hindsight, I think that must have been a warning sign of the tumour on my brain.
“When I saw the scan image I got goosebumps. They told me it was the size of a tangerine, I couldn’t believe it.”
Conor had a four-hour operation following by six weeks of radiotherapy. Surgery alleviated his limited mobility; however he was left using a leg brace to help him learn how to walk.
He said: “I practiced walking with my brace around the house and liked having the security of the walls around me to lean on. It took me weeks to build up the confidence to walk outside with my brace and eventually, working alongside a physiotherapist, I began to walk unaided.”
Conor decided to turn his ongoing rehab and recovery to raise awareness of the underfunding of research into brain tumours.
He said: “My left foot still sometimes drags along the floor and it takes around two hours for me to cover the 10km distance but I’m out there no matter what the weather brings. I’ve loved it so far and listen to music to keep me going. I’m specially looking forward to a birthday walk on Monday (18 December) and I’ll be seeing the year out and finishing my challenge on New Year’s Eve.
“I want to encourage people to listen to their body. By sharing my story, I hope that we can increase the funding to research this disease so that patient’s like me have a better chance of surviving and thriving after diagnosis.”
One in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour and just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54% across all cancers.
Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Conor for sharing his diagnosis as he continues to be monitored after treatment.
“Unfortunately, his story is not uncommon. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. It’s incredible that Conor is taking on a walking challenge as he navigates learning to move in spite of his diagnosis and we wish him well for the rest of his fundraiser.”
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Conor’s fundraising challenge, please visit: https://gofund.me/f960f101
